Cyclospora cases top 1,000, No source identified

Cyclospora outbreak investigations are notorious for being very difficult to pinpoint the vehicle and/or the source.

Cyclospora life cycle/CDC

I remember talking to Iowa Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) Medical Director and State Epidemiologist, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk on the radio show during the 2013 outbreak and listened to her describe the investigation saying she was optimistic that investigators will be able to figure out the source of the outbreak, at least at a certain level. However, will they may not be able to pinpoint the exact farm where the tainted veggies came from.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says identifying the particular food item/ingredient that caused an outbreak of cyclosporiasis can be very challenging.